Because operational efficiency is king in food packaging and processing companies, equipment must minimize downtime and boost accuracy, according to Videojet.

Videojet has introduced the CLARiTY laser controller, designed to give food and beverage packaging firms enhanced performance from their CO2 and fiber laser-marking equipment. The technology reportedly reduces errors and increases operational efficiency.

Flexibility focus

Markus Vetter, laser business unit manager for Videojet, told FoodProductionDaily flexibility and accuracy are crucial in any food production and packaging operation—especially those handing a large, diverse product range.

“Flexible production lines, by definition, experience more planned downtime than dedicated lines; the ability to compress changeover times releases valuable time to use for production,” he said. “Depending on user familiarity, the new line set-up wizard can be between 25-50% faster than our legacy controller interface—assuming even a modest number of changeovers per day, these time savings add up to meaningful production hours over the year.”

Operational efficiency

Additionally, the controller is said to include features tailored toward increasing efficiency and accuracy in operation.

“Our CLARiTY laser controller offers specific functionality to help drive sustainable improvements in overall equipment effectiveness,” he said. “T"he line set-up wizard and our suite of productivity tools help operators address the sources of both planned and unplanned downtime.

Vetter added the laser controller has an onboard suite of Code Assurance features, designed to help staff create error-proofing rules during job setup to narrow operator input to a select number of predefined choices.

“More than half of coding errors are caused by operator error and the most common mistakes include incorrect data entry and job selection,” he said. “These mistakes can result in excessive scrap or rework, or worse, could result in potential fines or damage to the brand itself.”

Visual interface

The interface gives a visual representation of the laser on the packaging line, which reportedly provides additional ease of use and accuracy. Onboard diagnostics deliver real-time fault data, logically, with an option to identify frequent causes of printer faults.

With the introduction of the CLARiTY controller, Videojet is offering a common controller interface for all of its main primary and secondary packaging printers. The common interface reportedly will simplify operation and decrease the time it takes users to get up to speed on working the equipment.

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